


Everything Else

by Thunderhel



Series: Monster Haus [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Dullahan Dex, M/M, Magic AU, Vampire Nursey, monster au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 09:31:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8139146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderhel/pseuds/Thunderhel
Summary: “Is that my shirt?”Nursey froze, the tip of his pen hovering just above the notebook he had been writing in. He didn’t know why he had assumed his decision had been a safe one, nothing at Samwell was ever safe. Still, it was well past three in the morning, and Dex had told him not to wait up as he had headed out hours before.    For the prompt: Monster Haus AU, Finding the other wearing their clothes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So this entire AU is basically one big joke, but this addition isn't really funny? It's pretty self indulgent because I just wanted to write about monster boys in love. I'm sorry. 
> 
> The rest of the AU can be found **[HERE](http://dexondefense.tumblr.com/tagged/monster+haus)**

“Is that my shirt?”

Nursey froze, the tip of his pen hovering just above the notebook he had been writing in. He didn’t know why he had assumed his decision had been a safe one, nothing at Samwell was ever safe. Still, it was well past three in the morning, and Dex had told him not to wait up as he had headed out hours before. 

Dex had been wearing that leather jacket that Nursey always chirped him about, the one Nursey knew he thought he looked good in and wore when he needed that to swing in his favor. Around his neck he had tied a finely woven black scarf, the one Nursey knew he wore when he really wanted to make sure his head stayed on. His back had been to Nursey when he swept it over his neck, like he hadn’t wanted him to notice. 

_“You going to see Gwen?”_

Dex hesitated on the knot, fingers stilling against the fabric. _“Yeah.”_

Nursey had whistled and banged his hand against his desk, relishing in the way Dex hunched his shoulders and the red of a blush crept up his neck. _“Have fun! Be safe!”_

Dex cursed on his way out the door, but didn’t manage to slam it soon enough to miss Nursey’s call of, _“try not to make any little demons!”_

That had been hours ago, but the feeling of nausea that had followed after Dex’s departure hadn’t faded. Nursey had tried to tell himself he just needed to feed. He was low on blood, or maybe someone had brought garlic in the Haus, or maybe Whiskey was using too much power. 

There were a lot of ors and maybes, but Nursey didn’t really believe the cause of his unease was anything supernatural. 

He hadn’t meant to grab Dex’s flannel, he really hadn’t. His sweater had been laying right next to it and as he headed out the door around midnight, intent on finding some sort of peace out in the dark, he had grabbed the flannel instead. Before he had even reached the door he had realized his mistake, but turning back seemed like such a hassle. Besides, Dex’s clothes were always warmer than his, the heavy fabric felt nice against his cold skin even if everything in Dex’s closet couldn’t equal the price of the cheapest item in his. 

Nursey would never ask, could never get the nerve or find the audacity in himself to question it, but Dex’s parents were just as old as his. His mother’s had made their wealth over centuries, and were living as most adult vampires were, in the lap of luxury. He had known a few demons to filter through their parties, but hadn’t know much about their lives. With centuries behind them, Nursey didn’t understand how Dex’s parent’s still struggled so much. 

_“It’s different, with demons,”_ his mom had told him. _“They’re not interested in the material.”_

_“What are they interested in?”_

She hadn’t answered. She only smiled wide and wicked and patted his cheek before taking another drink from her glass. 

So Nursey had taken the flannel instead, pulling it over his shoulders and sliding it down his bare arms. He and Dex were almost the same size, the flannel only the smallest bit loose on him as straightened the front. 

It smelled like Dex. 

He swore he hadn’t thought of that before he had put it on but now it was undeniable. Their room always smelled faintly of Dex - demons had a lot more of a physical presence than vampires - but this was different. It was like Dex had wrapped around him, the smell of fire and brimstone, clashing hard with earth and metal all at once. 

Nursey hadn’t just sat out on the Quad, smelling his roommate’s shirt. That would have been weird. It was just a hard thing not to notice, with his enhanced senses and while being engulfed in a well worn shirt. Besides, it was good for inspiration for writing. Dex was good for inspiration. He wasn’t even writing about Dex. He was writing about harsh winds and the sharp sting of the sun reflecting off of glass and of millions of beating hearts all coming together to form one monster that called itself a city. 

He wasn’t writing about Dex at all, but that didn’t mean he didn’t help. 

“Uh,” Nursey finally managed, shifting so he could look back over his shoulder at Dex. 

Nursey knew, mostly through the books he had snuck behind Dex’s back to read, that Dullahans hunted at night. They were silent and devastatingly quick. The sneaking part he could get, Dex moved as silently as he did, but once he arrived he was hard to miss. The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, but Nursey didn’t need that light to see, but neither would anyone else to see Dex. He practically glowed in the dark. Not the way Whiskey did, all white light and cool presence. No, if Nursey’s heart was anything other than a shriveled husk he knew it would be pounding. Dex glowed almost orange, like the fire that he kept somewhere in his chest was always trying to push its way out, like it wanted to destroy everything that came within Dex’s reach. 

He was suddenly reminded of the way his mom never answered his question about what demons wanted. Of that dangerous smile she gave him instead.

He also remembered what his mama had said when he asked her the same question.

“Uh?” Dex asked, throwing up his hands. “That’s all you got?”

“It was closer than my sweater,” Nursey told him with a shrug, his voice coming out quieter than he had intended. 

Dex rolled his eyes but didn’t push the matter farther. Nursey didn’t know what he expected, but for his fellow D-man to throw himself down on the ground next to him was not it. He didn’t say a word, just arranged himself in silence next to Nursey.

When their shoulders touched, Nursey could feel the heat. It was more than just human warmth, it was a fire roasting just beneath his skin. Nursey wondered, not for the first time, that if his icy skin touched Dex at his hottest if they could make steam. There was no distraction of blood that humans and witches always had. Dex had blood running through his veins the same as they did, but his was molten and tainted with brimstone and Nursey had no desire to try to drink it. 

“Does it look good on me?” He finally asked after a minute of silence. 

“What?”

“Your shirt, does it look good on me?” Nursey leaned back, knocking his knee against Dex’s as he tried to model the flannel as best he could. 

Dex huffed a laugh. “Everything looks good on you.” It was said so quietly, Nursey wasn’t sure he was meant to hear it. Or he would have assumed it, had Dex not been fully aware of Nursey’s heightened senses. 

“It looks better on you,” Nursey said before he could stop himself, his words little more than a breath on the stillness of the night. Dex turned his head away before Nursey could catch his reaction, but he didn’t think he imagined the way Dex pushed their shoulders a little firmer together. 

“How’s Gwen?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking. It was three AM and Dex was sitting next to him beside the pond. Things with Gwen had obviously not gone according to plan. 

Dex was silent for a minute before shrugging. “It’s not gonna work out.” 

“Your head didn’t come off, did it?” 

He expected to get hit, or maybe for Dex to take off, but instead he just sighed. It was somehow worse than either of the previous options. “We didn’t get that far.” 

Nursey wanted to ask what happened, but he kept his mouth closed. Dex had been after Gwen for weeks, carrying her things for her and helping her in her classes like the romantic dork that he was. Gwen was about as nice of a girl as they came. Nursey didn’t like her.

He thought of Gwen, with her delicate features and neat blonde braid. She was some sort of magic user, low level and quiet. He thought of Dex, the demonic presence glowing in the dark with his own internal fire. It wasn’t hard to figure out where quiet and gentle Gwen had changed her mind. 

Nursey didn’t say anything, but draped an arm around Dex’s shoulders in a show of solidarity. Dex sighed, the effort lowering his shoulders and pressing him more firmly against Nursey. 

It wasn’t the time. Not that it would ever really be the time, but now really was not. It wasn’t Nursey’s chance to figure out what the twist in his stomach was about, and why he suddenly liked the feeling of warmth just so long as that warmth came from Dex. Dex was hurt, he was feeling bad about himself and Nursey had to be there for him. 

He had to be there for him, he reminded himself when Dex turned his head, watching him closely with one bright orange eye. There was no light, just the darkness closing in around them, and though Nursey could see just fine the shadows still felt like a curtain, locking them in their own world. 

“What were you doing out here?” Nursey asked.

Dex just watched him for a moment, and when he spoke Nursey saw the flames in the back of his throat, the same ones that appeared when he was excited or nervous. “I was looking for you.” 

Dex needed him and it wasn’t the time, and he had to help his friend. Nursey told himself again and again as Dex leaned in and Nursey moved in to meet him. When they kissed, their lips were ice and fire at the same time. When Dex tilted his head Nursey was reminded of those flames dancing over his tongue, but they didn’t burn his mouth when Dex opened his. Their tongues touched and Nursey wondered if this was what it felt like to have a heartbeat. 

“Sorry about Gwen,” was the first thing out of his mouth when they broke apart and he wished he had to ability to set himself on fire. 

Dex blinked at him for a second before what may have been an attempt at a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “I think I’ll live.” 

Their next kiss was harsher than the first, and Nursey’s notebook slipped off his leg as he twisted his body to reach for Dex. He grabbed at his arm as Dex’s hand slipped underneath the flannel, skimming along the thin fabric of his tee shirt and up his chest. Nursey could feel the flames in his mouth this time and they burned but they didn’t hurt.

The second time they broke apart it was Dex who spoke first. “You’re not scared of me, are you?” He knew Nursey wasn’t. Vampires and demons didn’t have the same fear of one another that humans did, but Nursey’s chest ached as he remembers why they were there. 

“No,” he told him, lips brushing when they spoke. “Not because of that at least,” he joked weakly, forcing a small smile on his face. He licked his lip. “Are you scared of me?”

At the question Dex pulled back an inch, staring intently at Nursey. He was so focused on Dex’s face that Nursey didn’t notice his hand until it was resting against his cheek, fingers moving under his jaw. “Nursey,” Dex breathed out, “why the fuck would anyone ever be scared of your stupid ass?” 

Nursey scowled, shoving at Dex’s shoulder with one hand as the traitor laughed, curling his fingers around Nursey’s flannel to keep himself from falling over. “I’m terrifying,” Nursey told him, unable to keep the smile off of his face. Before he could stop himself he opened his grin wider, flashing his fangs in the dark. 

Dex leaned back on one hand, seeming to seriously consider the display for a minute.“You look like my sister’s cat,” he decided finally. “Like when I grab its paw and it wants to be scary.” 

“Fuck you!” 

“Not in your wildest dreams.” 

“You don’t know what I dream about.” Nursey reached out, ignoring the way Dex flinched back in expectation of an attack, and looped his fingers through the scarf still tight around Dex’s neck. When Nursey gave a light tug, Dex went so willingly he almost fell over. “Besides, you’re all ready wearing the scarf for it.” 

The orange in Dex’s eyes was the brightest Nursey had ever seen it, and from this close he could see the shifting of the colors. Nursey had always wanted to ask him if there were really flames in his eyes, but now it seemed almost impossible that there weren’t.

“What have you been dreaming about?” It sounded like such a terrible line, but Nursey doubted Dex was even listening to himself. 

“How much can this scarf take?” Nursey asked instead of answering, tugging again as his fingers grazed Dex’s neck. The eyes staring back at him were almost completely orange now, no trace of black or white left. 

"Uhh,” Dex seemed unable to form a thought, a high blush hiding his freckles. Nursey could see when Dex shifted his gaze down, even with his pupils obscured by fire. 

Nursey took pity on Dex, on them both really, and tugged the scarf again to bring Dex’s face back to his. Dex’s hand covered his, and though the embrace was warm Nursey knew it had more to do with making sure his head stayed on his shoulders than it did with touching Nursey. His other hand was gripping his leg hard though, fingers digging into his tight so hard he thought it was supposed to hurt but it only felt secure. 

Dex was a force onto himself, dangerous in ways Nursey sometimes felt no one else understood. He wasn’t deadly or malicious, but he was a fire, all consuming and demanding. Nursey wondered if he would have burn marks tomorrow, if it was possible for him to scar from kissing a demon. He knew that even if he didn’t he would still be able to feel the heat tomorrow as Dex held him in a crushing grip and pushed his tongue past Nursey’s lips. 

“What do you want?” 

Dex opened his eyes, looking confused and a little dazed when they pulled away. “What?”

“What do you want?” Nursey asked again. He didn’t breath, had never needed to, but he thought maybe he understood what being breathless meant. “From me? Right here?” 

As Nursey watched a few wrinkles appeared at the bridge of Dex’s nose, the expression so unexpected and adorable he had to restrain himself from just leaning in again. “I-” Dex’s expression shifted from confused to something closer to panic. When he ran a hand through his hair a few strands stuck straight up. Nursey squeezed his hand, guilt welling up at the obvious distress the question caused. 

“It’s fine, sorry-”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Dex’s eyes were wide, and all of him seemed to be glowing orange in the darkness, almost pulsing. It looked less menacing now, something closer to painful. “I don’t know what I want.” Nursey thought Dex might have looked away. “I just-” For a moment, the flames seemed to grow brighter. Dex wasn’t the self pitying type, and Nursey knew better than most that any amount of distress was going to switch over into anger quickly. 

Before either of them could get any farther with that train of thought, Nursey grabbed his face and kissed him hard again. 

Figuring anything else out could wait. 

_“What do demons want?”_

_“What?”_ His mama had glanced up from the book she was reading, a crease in her brow.

_“Mom said that demons don’t want material things. So what do they want?”_

His mama tilted her head, considering the question for a moment. When she smiled, it looked more sympathetic than mocking. 

_“Everything else.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to the misguided anon who gave me this prompt. I am taking more at **[Dexondefense.](http://dexondefense.tumblr.com/)**


End file.
